Captain Cook lands in New Zealand // 1769 Journal Entry // Primary Source

Here we have the words of Captain James Cook as he describes what happened when European culture met Maori for the first time - with deadly results.

This is a collaboration with History Time - head over there for a fascinating full hour documentary on The First People in New Zealand and Maori history:

How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.

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[RuuAndrew]

I have been looking for a channel like this for literal years. Amazing.

[di]

I could almost imagine this was Mr. Cook himself explaining his Captain's log. Splendid job.

[sebastiamarques]

I remind you that James Cook wasn't the first European to arrive to New Zealand. The Dutch Abel Tasman visited it more than a century earlier and baptized it with its current name. And there are reasons to believe that the lost Spanish vessel San Lesmes, from the García Jofré de Loaysa fleet might have visited it in 1526.

[jakedee]

Has anyone else thought that Gene Roddenberry based his Star Trek series at least in part on the adventures of Captain Cook ? Roddenberry served in the US Navy in the Pacific during the war and would have known this history well. The Endeavor becomes The Enterprise, Captain Cook becomes Captain Kirk and I suppose that makes Joseph Banks (The gentleman of science) Spock ! They both boldly go where no man has gone before seeking new life and new civilizations. Like the federations prime directive Cook was under orders from the admiralty and the Crown to make friendly relations with the natives where ever possible. It didn't work out so well in this case however he was trying. Notice how the muskets were loaded with small shot ? That was the 18th century version of setting your phasers on stun.

[craboomba]

Letter of Turkish Sultan Mehmet IV to the zaporogian cossacks and the cossack reply by Ivan Sirko

[jonbaxter]

It bothers me greatly that some people want to scrub this man from history.

[kryptocyde]

This is incredible, I'm so happy to have found your channel

[hhiskgj]

I find it very fascinating and human that the natives immediately assessed the situation and understood that these weird weapons are what makes these people dangerous. And even though they didn't know what they are and how they work, they just wanted to have them.

[beaudanner]

I really enjoyed how there was seemingly no feelings of superiority on the part of Cook and his men and that he felt truly regretful for the killing that he deemed necessary at the time.
He was there to communicate and win over with kindness and not to subjugate.

[NeilRoy]

I'm a huge fan of history and you really have a knack at bringing history alive, thanks. Loved this.

[pikiwiki]

Cooke was humane, intelligent and an excellent sailor and cartographer, if records bear the truth. Thanks in part to the Enlightenment. That he was tasked with marking the transit of Venus from the Pacific, in 1779, in order to determine the size of the universe is a testament to how human ingenuity can break new ground and carry all to a better understanding of what it means to be, human,

[caomhan]

Good lord this guy sounds like Peter Wingfield. That's part of what makes listening to these so fun to me...I imagine it's Methos talking as every historical figure. :) But seriously, I love the dramatic reading of these historical accounts. It's always really well done. One of the most pleasant surprises I've discovered on YouTube for a long time.

[gregariousmax]

Hey man love your channel have you thought about reading journal entries of the first Spanish conquistadors and priest in the Americas that would be awesome

[paperspast]

Nothing like first-hand accounts to see history as it really happened. Great stuff.

[windywendi]

Now the Maori war dance is danced by all New Zealanders, regardless of skin color.
One of the very few New World countries that truly takes its native culture as national identity.

[adamradziwill]

Captain Cook was a highly professional commander. posted from GDL (Belarus) which was a colony of Asiatic Muscovy for 175 years

[andycopland]

This is truly fascinating, what an incredible time to be alive.

[barrywebber]

Years ago I read Cook's Journals and it seemed to me that from the 1st journey through to the 3rd when he was killed in Hawaii the wonder and pleasure of what he was doing diminished over time.
I got the impression that Cook became peevish, depressed almost, with little joy as he became older. He was a great man though and his navigating and map making skills were incredible!

[ValensBellator]

It was really interesting to get that first hand account of a people encountering firearms for the first time.

It must have been so bizarre... are there even natural sources of the sound it makes that they might have heard before? It’s also telling of human nature just how fast they fixated on those weapons and wanted them.

Few things are more interesting than the first encounters between two distant populations; I think it’s why my favorite episode of Star Trek Next Gen is Darmok. We’re all so painfully curious, and when you encounter someone you don’t understand and can’t communicate with you are filled with an overwhelming urge to bridge that gap.

[bingoboppins]

This is amazing. Firsthand accounts of encountering new civilizations